Whether you are a veteran cook or very new to the kitchen, you are already aware that there are several herbs and seasonings that you should just keep on hand as a matter of course and thyme is one of them! Thyme, in any of its forms, adds an earthy, tangy taste to your cooking and if you have cooked with and without it, you already know the difference it can make. A few facts about this essential herb can help you decide when to incorporate it into your cooking and how it really helps.
While some people simply buy thyme dried from the store, you can also purchase and grow it fresh. Remember that when cooking with fresh thyme that on a fresh sprig is about equal in potency to one-half a teaspoon of dried thyme.
Remember to crush the leaves well before adding dried thyme to your French cooking recipes. This ensures the thyme flavor will be evenly distributed throughout the food. You need to store dried thyme in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Stored in this way, dried thyme will keep for up to 6 months. After that time it will go musty and lose its flavor.
It is easy to grow your own thyme and you can use a window box for this. If you want to dry the thyme for use in a French recipe, just hang it upside down for a couple of days and wait until the leaves go crispy. If you want to use it fresh in your French cooking recipes, do not use the stems because they are woody. Use the leaves only. You can either drag the plant through the tines of a fork to remove the leaves, or just pull them off.
You can integrate the unique flavor of thyme in your French cooking recipes in many ways. Thyme is also very good with mushroom stroganoff because the earthy flavor of the thyme matches the earthy mushroom flavor. Adding thyme to a mushroom stroganoff gives amazing results. If you are making a special dish like this, what better than to look through some French dessert recipes and pick something light, like choux a la crme or crme caramel?
You will also find out that thyme goes well with any dish that calls for mustard. Honey mustard chicken is a dish that can be almost childishly sweet until you add some thyme to help it grow up a little.
You can add thyme to salad dressings or vinaigrettes to increase the texture and spice. Thyme goes very well with soft, pale cheeses because the cheese's softness brings out the sharp thyme flavor.
As you can see, there is practically no limit to the ways that you can use thyme in your cooking. Spend some time with this essential herb and soon you will never know how you did without it! - 16463
While some people simply buy thyme dried from the store, you can also purchase and grow it fresh. Remember that when cooking with fresh thyme that on a fresh sprig is about equal in potency to one-half a teaspoon of dried thyme.
Remember to crush the leaves well before adding dried thyme to your French cooking recipes. This ensures the thyme flavor will be evenly distributed throughout the food. You need to store dried thyme in an airtight container in a dark, cool place. Stored in this way, dried thyme will keep for up to 6 months. After that time it will go musty and lose its flavor.
It is easy to grow your own thyme and you can use a window box for this. If you want to dry the thyme for use in a French recipe, just hang it upside down for a couple of days and wait until the leaves go crispy. If you want to use it fresh in your French cooking recipes, do not use the stems because they are woody. Use the leaves only. You can either drag the plant through the tines of a fork to remove the leaves, or just pull them off.
You can integrate the unique flavor of thyme in your French cooking recipes in many ways. Thyme is also very good with mushroom stroganoff because the earthy flavor of the thyme matches the earthy mushroom flavor. Adding thyme to a mushroom stroganoff gives amazing results. If you are making a special dish like this, what better than to look through some French dessert recipes and pick something light, like choux a la crme or crme caramel?
You will also find out that thyme goes well with any dish that calls for mustard. Honey mustard chicken is a dish that can be almost childishly sweet until you add some thyme to help it grow up a little.
You can add thyme to salad dressings or vinaigrettes to increase the texture and spice. Thyme goes very well with soft, pale cheeses because the cheese's softness brings out the sharp thyme flavor.
As you can see, there is practically no limit to the ways that you can use thyme in your cooking. Spend some time with this essential herb and soon you will never know how you did without it! - 16463
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Interested in international cuisine like chicken tortilla soup we have a wonderful chicken tortilla soup recipes your whole family will love.
